State declines to audit Southbridge Police Department

The state auditor has declined town councilors’ request that the state audit the Police Department, noting that no criminal wrongdoing has been alleged.

In September, councilors voted 6-3 to ask the state to review police training and certification files, staffing requirements, the filling of vacancies, internal controls over grant expenditures, fiscal operations and information systems from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2012.

The request came after the majority of the police union wrote a letter to Town Manager Christopher Clark in July, alleging that Police Chief Daniel R. Charette hadn’t properly provided training, vehicles and staffing. Despite the lack of resources, the union said, the chief continually returns money to the town from the department’s annual budget.

In a letter to Mr. Clark dated Nov. 5, Laura M. Marlin, first deputy auditor, said that given the nature of the request, and absent significant allegations of wrongdoing and criminal activity, the state would not do the audit.

“Certain items listed in your petition that related to finance and compliance would be appropriate items to include (within) the scope of the town’s annual audit. Performance measures, including staffing, training and resource utilization may be best addressed by public safety experts,” the letter said.

Councilor Shaun M. Moriarty, one of the six requesters, said he wasn’t surprised.

A private, independent police management consultant with no ties to Southbridge would be best to review the Police Department, he said.

“A lot of people have questions and concerns, and there’s always room for improvement,” Mr. Moriarty said. “I fully expect some inefficiencies and problems will be found, as would be the case anywhere. Hopefully what is found is minor and benevolent — something we can address and fix.”

Chief Charette said: “They can certainly do that.”

But the chief said he told the town manager he recently signed up his department for an accreditation process that includes a self-assessment or comparison of policies and procedures and the handling of day-to-day activities against state standards.

The process, through the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, is a less expensive alternative to hiring a consultant, Chief Charette said.

There are 29 accredited police departments statewide, while about 100 others are working toward the standard, the chief said.

The chief said he and the union met last week, and “things are so much better.”

“We’re talking about everything, and everything is going positive. We’re working on positive resolutions on all the things that started this,” he said.

Last week the Town Council subcommittee on the protection of persons and property authorized paying for new weapons for police.

The chief said the council’s request for an audit was unnecessary, and said he is carrying out the objectives of the town manager, whose evaluation process for department heads yields “bonus points” for administrators who return money to the town.